Book or manuscript holder



. (No Model.)

E.D.HALL.' BOOK 0R MANUSCRIPT HOLDER.

No. 593,935. v Patented Nov. 16, 1897.

W/TNESSES A rromvars.

' UNITED STATES PATENT QEEIGE.

ELBERT n. HALL, or MITCHELL, IOWA.

BOOK ORMANUSCRIPT HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 593,935, dated November 16, 1897. Application filed February 27, 1897 serial No. 625,298. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELBERT D. HALL, of Mitchell, in the county of Mitchell and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Book or Manuscript Holder, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

- Thisinvention relates to that class of book and manuscript holders which are supported on a table and mounted to swing at various positions-with relation thereto, so that the holder may be adjusted to suit the convenience of the person using it.

The invention will be fully described hereinafter and defined in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the table having my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a reduced plan View showing the same parts. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line III III of Fig. 5. Fig. 4 is an en larged elevation of the parts shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line V V of Fig. 3.

The table is provided with a plate 6, having two lugs 7 struck therefrom, wherein is pivoted the downwardly-extending end 8 of the supporting-bar 9 of the book or manuscript holder. The book or manuscript rest consists in three longitudinal frame-plates 10,

.11, and 12, each approximately triangular in form and having their upper edges inclined forwardly. To the front of the ends of the plates 10, 11, and 12 is secured an upwardlyextending cleat 13, while the upper edges of the plates 10, 11, and 12 have a covering or top 14 secured thereon. The shape of the .rest is approximately square, and the posi-' tion of the bar 9 relative to the rest and to the table is such that the rest may swing to either of the two positions illustrated, respectively, by full and .dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The plate 11 is extended downwardly below the lower edges of the plates 10 and 12 andis provided with a recess 15, over which is a wearplate 16, having an opening therein through which the upwardly-extending end 17 of the bar 9 is passed. The horizontal or main portion of the bar 9 passes out through the open side of the recess 15, as best shown 23, whereby the plates 21 may be adjusted toward and from the recess 15. The plates 21 lie fiat'against the side of the plate 11 at which the recess 15 opens. By adjusting the plates as described the swing of the bar 9 on its outwardly-extending portion17 and within the recess 15 may be regulated, so that in swinging the book-rest from one position to the other, as shown in Fig. 2, the movement of the bar 9 and of the book-rest on the bar will be properly regulated.

The cover or top 14 of the book-rest is provided with a series of transversely-extending dovetail grooves 24, covered by metallic slats 25, let into the upper surface of the top 14. By this construction passages are formed in the cover 14, wherein are received the dovetail bars 26. The bars 26 project out at one side of the book-holder and are fixed to a longitudinally-extending bar 27, extending in the plane of the cover 14 and joined at its front end to a vertically-disposed plate 28, sliding in a passage formed in the cleat '13. The bar 27, with the bars 26, may be drawn outward to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, so as to extend the supporting-surface of the book-rest. These parts may also be pushed in, as shown by full lines in Figs. 1 and 5, at which position the book-rest will be contracted. Secured to the middle por tion of the bar 27 is a downwardly-extending eye 29, to which a rod 30 is fixed at its outer end. The rod 30 slides transversely in the plates ll'and 12 and has a stop 31 at its inner end, which stop is adapted to engage the plate 11 to limit the outward movement of the bar. When the. stop 31 engages the plate 11, the bars 27 and 26 will be at the limit of their outward movement.

To relieve the bar 9 of some of the strain placed upon the book-holder, I provide a bar 32, sliding transversely in the plates 11 and 12 and running parallel with the bar 30. The bar 32 has near its outer end an upwardlyextending lug 33 and near its inner end an upwardly-extending lug 34. These lugs are capable of respectively engaging the inner sides of the plates 11 and 12, so as to limit the sliding movement of the bar 32. Secured to and depending from the bar 30 at a point between the plates 11 and 12 is a lug 85, which is located between the lugs and 34. As the bar 30 slides with the bars 26 and 27 the lug 31 of the bar 30 will engage the inner end of the bar 32 and push the same to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5, whereupon the outer end of the bar will be rested on the top of the table, so as to receive the greater portion of the weight placed on the book-holder. The return of the bar 30 to its inactive position causes the lug 35 to engage the lug 34 and retract the bar 32. The lug also acts to engage the lug when the bar 30 is moved outward. It is thus that the lugs 31 and 35 act jointly to push the bar 32 outward. The operation of each lug will suffice to perform this function.

A book-rest constructed as described is strong and durable and may be moved to very convenient positions with reference to the person using the table. The bars 26 and 27 may be so placed that they will project from either side of the book-rest, so that the bookrest will be elongated either in a direction over the top of the table or in a direction outward therefrom. As disposed in the drawings these bars project over the table when drawn from the book-rest. It is obvious, however, that they could extend in an opposite direction.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1. The combination of a bar having an upwardly-bent portion at one end, a book-rest having a passage receiving the upwardly-bent portion of the bar, the book-rest also having a recess in which the horizontal portion of the bar adjacent to the upwardly-extending portion thereof projects, and two plates carried by the book-rest and respectively located on the sides of the horizontal portion of the bar, whereby to limit the swingingmovement of the bar relative to the book-rest, substantially as described.

2. A book-rest having a frame-plate with a recess in its lower portion and with a passage extending upwardly from the recess, a bar having a main portion an d an upwardly-bent portion, the main portion extending into the recess and the upwardly-bent portion running into the passage, and two plates carried by the frame-plate and adjustable toward and from the main portion of the bar, so as to regulate the movement of said bar relative to the book-rest, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a supporting-bar, a book-rest pivoted thereto, and two plates carried by the book-rest and respectively on opposite sides of the supporting-bar, the plates being movable toward and from the bar, so

as to limit the movement of the bar relative to the book-rest, substantially as described.

4. A book-rest havingaframe-plate with a recess in its lower edge, the frame-plate also having a passage extending upwardly from the recess, a supporting-bar having an upwardly-bent end, the supporting-bar having a portion running into the recess and having the upwardly-bent end revolubly mounted within the passage, awear-plate held against the upper wall of the recess and engaging the supporting-bar, and two plates respectively carried by the frame-plate and adjustable toward and from the supporting-bar, the frameplates being located on opposite sides of the recess and serving to limit the movement of the bar relative to the book-rest, substantially as described.

5. A book-rest having a main portion, an extension slidably connected with the main portion, a supporting-bar pivotally connected to the book-rest, and abarslidingin the main portion of the book-rest and moved outward by the movement of the extension, the said bar being capable of engaging the supportingbar to assist in holding the book-rest, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a book-rest, an extension sliding thereon, a bar moved outward by the extension and capable of engaging a support, and a supporting-bar pivoted to the book-rest, substantially as described.

7 The combination of a book-rest, an extension sliding thereon, and a bar sliding in the book-rest and moved outward by the movement of the extension, the bar being capable of engaging a support to assist in holding the book-rest, substantially as described.

8. The eombination of a book-rest, an extension sliding on the book-rest, a bar slidable in the book-rest and connected rigidly to the extension, a second bar sliding in the book-rest and capable of being moved by the movement of the first bar, and a supportingbar pivotally connected to the book-rest, substantially as described.

9. The combination of a book-rest, an extension sliding thereon, a bar sliding in the book-rest and rigidly connected to the extension, and a second bar also sliding in the book-rest and moved by the movement of the first bar, substantially as described.

10. The combination of a book-rest, an extension sliding on the book-rest,a bar also sliding on the book-rest and rigidly connected to the extension, a lug 011 the bar, a second bar sliding in the book-rest, and two lugs on the second bar, the lugs on the second bar being respectively located on opposite sides of the lug of the first bar, substantially as described.

ELBERT D. HALL.

\Vitnesses:

BOURLAND D. SMITH, W. E. OWEN.

ICC

IIC 

